1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to artificial reefs and, more specifically, to a stackable habitat module with an anchoring base that when used alone, or in combination with a piling, serves as a marine habitat. When the habitat modules are stacked above the mean high tide the unit serves to attenuate waves and when a plurality of the units are positioned together in a spaced relationship they form a living wave barrier.
The stackable habitat module can also be used in the plurality to form a vertical pile that can be used in combination with a base module support platform to form a marine habitat that can be placed under a pier.
The habitat module has a platform portion and a footer portion with the platform portion having a top side and a bottom side with the platform portion having a throughbore whereby the module can be mounted on a piling when used, diagonal recesses serving as footer receptacle for another habitat module stacked thereon and optionally one or more removable portions that can be seeded with oyster spat with the remainder of the top surface optionally providing for fixedly attaching articles, such as stones and rocks, thereto.
The footer portion is a plurality of platform diagonal footings whereby the tides and currents freely flow through the module continuously permeably flushing the module to maintain water quality.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other marine devices which provide for establishing a marine habitat. While these marine devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is thus desirable to provide a marine habitat module having a platform portion and a footer portion with the platform portion having a throughbore whereby one or more of the habitat modules can be mounted onto a piling.
It is further desirable to provide a habitat module having a footer portion comprising panel-like footers that are diagonally positioned relative to the platform thereby creating venturi-like openings on each side of the habitat module.